


Blast From The Past

by RomulusandRemus



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Martin Blackwood Needs a Hug, Minor Violence, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Non-Explicit Sex, Not as bad as it sounds I promise, One Night Stands, Power Imbalance, Takes Place somewhere in season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:55:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomulusandRemus/pseuds/RomulusandRemus
Summary: Martin was 19 when he first met Elias.The real Elias, not whatever was currently wearing his skin like an ill-fitted coat.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Elias Bouchard, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, but like og elias, eventual - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 59





	1. Martin and Elias play a high stakes game of chicken

**Author's Note:**

> Comment if you have any concrit or suggestions!! I love feedback!

Martin was 19 when he first met Elias. 

The real Elias, not whatever was currently wearing his skin like an ill-fitted coat. 

Martin was at a local gay bar because mum didn’t want him home while she was still upset with him. Martin doesn’t drink, it’s an expensive habit and an unhealthy one at that. Martin also doesn’t get hit on, but there he sat, drink in hand, as a man in his mid-to-late thirties rubbed circles into Martin’s inner thigh. The man was tanned in the way that rich white people who vacation to the beach three times a year are and had eyes like unbroken earth in the chill of Autumn. 

“Hey, there. I’m Elias, Elias Bouchard.” The man, Elias, said in a manner that suggested that he was used to that name carrying some amount of weight. “And you are..?”

“Martin.” Martin squeaked, embarrassed at his high pitched voice that he’d hoped would deepen post-puberty to no avail. 

“You sound pretty young, Martin. You sure daddy won’t come to bash my head in if you miss curfew?” Elias joked condescendingly, curling his slim fingers around Martin’s glass so that their hands touched, before taking a long sip, eyes never leaving Martin’s.

“I’m 19… and my dad left when I was little,” Martin explained, too exhausted from his stressful day to lie to some smarmy stranger.

“Ah, daddy issues, then? I see.” Elias smirked, leaning in close to Martin, who met eyes with one half of the gay couple who owned this bar, an older gentleman who was fiercely protective of the fresh-faced teen who occasionally visited the joint with red-rimmed eyes. Martin gave a nod and a smile to the man, signaling that he was fine with Elias’ flirting, and the man relaxed his grip on the broom he’d been holding and went back to surveying the rest of the place for anyone else in need of help, before returning to sweeping. “Wanna come back to my place, Martin? You look like you could use a good time.”

‘And a place to sleep tonight.’ Martin’s mind unhelpfully supplied before verbally answering, “You know what? I think you’re right”.

It was several years later when Martin met the man who claimed to be Elias Bouchard. The costume was convincing… apart from one thing. This new Elias had green eyes. Bright green all-seeing eyes. Eyes that glinted with recognition when Martin first walked into his interview, eyes that feigned surprise and was reminiscent of a man remembering the plot to a movie, not a man confronted with a long-forgotten memory. This man was not Elias Bouchard, yet he knew enough about the real Elias’ past to know about one of the likely many hookups… The thought that this fraud had that kind of knowledge scared Martin shitless. 

Martin tried to play off his avoidance of Elias in general as embarrassment, but Martin feared Elias already knew Martin’s wariness around him was more than shyness. It became a game of chicken- neither of them wished to directly bring up their shared past for differing reasons. Martin, because then he’d have to address the fact that he knew the real Elias, therefore making himself more of a target. Elias, because he seemed to delight in Martin’s fear of his gaze, his curiosity of what this imitation really was clouding his better judgment. In the end, neither of them did end up directly addressing the issue, it came out one evening at the Institute’s Holiday Extravaganza.

“Oh, come off it, Martin! You’re an amazing guy, anyone would be lucky to have you!” Exclaimed a slightly tipsy Tim who turned to face the people nearest to him (who happened to be Sasha, Jon, and surprisingly, Elias, who tended to not stick around for these kinds of things). “Everyone say one nice thing about Martin. Sasha, go!”

“Tim, stop, you’re embarrassing the poor man.” Sasha laughed, playfully shoving him.

“Party-pooper. Jon?” Tim asked, receiving only an eye roll in response. “Ugh. How about you Elias? One nice thing about Martin.”

“Only one?” Elias began in a low, sensual tone as he slowly approached where Martin stood frozen, eyes wide. “I suppose as your boss you must be aware I am at least somewhat pleased with your work ethic. You work sufficiently under pressure, not many people can take such a difficult work environment as this one in stride. That’s what I’ve always liked most about you, Martin- you’re so good at taking whatever hard problems I give you.”

Elias was now a mere foot away from Martin, whose blush had become more and more visible as Elias spoke. Martin remembered why he’d slept with the man (or at least, who this man is pretending to be) in the first place, he had a way of making you feel as if you were the only person in the room with him, drawn in by the irresistible pull of charisma. The only problem was, there were other people in the room. Three others, to be exact, all of which were staring at the two of them in shock.

“No way, no goddamn way. Martin, did you have sex with Elias fucking Bouchard?” Tim screeched, thankfully unheard by the other employees who rambled aimlessly far away from the five Archival Employees’ discussion. 

“I- uh, well, I didn’t not have sex with him.” Martin sputtered, looking at fake Elias for help and getting only a smirk and a wink in reply.

“This is completely unacceptable! Trading sexual favors for a job title? I thought you were better than that Martin… And you-!” Jon continued, pointing accusingly at Elias, who stared back unimpressed. “Forcing an employee to engage sexually with you or risk unemployment is low even for you, Elias.” 

“Jon, I’m sure that’s not what is happening here. Let Elias explain.” Sasha scolded.

“I assure you that Martin’s bedroom skills were only a fraction of the reason I hired him. If he was only good for sex then I wouldn’t be wasting his potential here in the archives.” Elias explained calmly, smiling slightly at Martin’s growl.

“Would you quit it, Elias?” Martin spat, emphasizing the name he had stolen like it was some dark inside joke. “Ok, yes, I did sleep with Elias- that was years ago, though. I was 19 and I needed a roof over my head for the night, simple as that.”

“Well, that’s hardly how it went, Martin. You make it sound as if you weren’t a willing participant when, if memory serves, you were more than willing.” Elias teased, his last words spoken in a way that triggered several pleasing memories for Martin. “Also, Jon, that was a very rude thing to imply about me and Martin’s working relationship. I’ve been the perfect gentleman since the moment I knew he was going to be working under me… and Martin is very good at working under me.”

“I think I forgot to feed my oven,” Martin said abruptly, making a quick exit as Tim and Sasha looked at Elias disapprovingly. Jon, however, watched Martin leave, debated with himself for a moment, then followed. Ignoring how Sasha’s gentle reprimanding hid her disgust and Tim’s steely protectiveness of Martin shone through his usually relaxed exterior as they spoke to Elias.

Jon found Martin leaning against the cold brick of the Institute trying and failing to take deep breaths.

"Good lord, Martin. It's freezing out here, did you not think to wear a jacket today?" Jon asked condescendingly, joining Martin where he stood against the building.

"I don't really get cold," Martin replied curtly, hoping that would convince Jon to leave and sighing deeply when it didn't. "I didn't sleep with him to get the job, Jon. And even if I did, it'd be none of your business."

"I know you didn't, Martin. I was just… surprised, I suppose." Jon said after a tense pause. "Does he do that often- when we're not around, I mean- does he say things like that to you?" 

"Elias being creepy and smug isn't breaking news, Jon. But, to answer your question, yes. We've been dancing around the subject for a while now and, to be honest, I'm a bit relieved it's finally all out in the open." Martin confessed, glancing over just in time to see Jon's angry expression. "What?"

"He- that man has no right to behave in that way towards-" Jon began, interrupted by a familiar deep voice.

"Martin. Jon. Taking a break from the party, I see. Wise decision. I, myself, am in the process of heading home." Elias said coolly. "Martin, if you'd like to have a proper chat about us- about how I might've changed then I'd be more than happy to invite you to join me tonight."

"Change of plans, we chat at my place. Archive's safe room seems to be a more appropriate space for this mix of business and personal life, don't you think?" Martin challenged, voice low and dangerous like Jon had never heard.

Jon wondered why it was that Martin seemed to behave so differently than Jon is used to. He knew there was something- some puzzle piece he was missing, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what the piece could be.

"You've truly grown, haven't you, Martin? I remember you used to be so obedient and meek, it was adorable. Though I must admit, I am somewhat partial to this newfound confidence you've gained." Elias remarked, turning to head back inside the Institute. "Safe room it is. Bye Jon, do apologize to Tim and Sasha for me for stealing away sweet Martin for the evening."

“I’ll be 20 minutes, Jon,” Martin promised as he followed Elias down the stairwell.

“Someone’s optimistic,” Elias called out joyfully over his shoulder, green eyes locking onto Jon’s squinted gaze in an intense staring contest until Elias was finally out of Jon’s sight.

“So if my math is correct, Elias, who was then in his late 30s, slept with an apparently homeless, based on Martin’s comments on needing a place to stay, 19-year-old Martin. Now, I know it’s not illegal but that’s definitely a little skeezy, right?” Tim said to a nodding Sasha and a newly arrived Jon. “Hey, Jon, where’s Martin? I thought you went to go fetch him.”

“Elias took him to the safe room.” Jon panted, having run the entire way to them.

“Wait, took him? Like against his will?” Sasha asked, grabbing her purse as the three of them began to head to check on Martin.

“Not exactly… There’s something more going on, something I’m not getting. It’s like there’s some unspoken secret between them, I thought it was maybe just Elias’ strange way of flirting, but no. I think Martin knows something about Elias that we don’t… something that makes him behave so cautiously around Elias.” Jon explained to Sasha and Tim as they all climbed down the stairs to the archives.

“If Martin’s so suspicious of Elias, why would he go into a soundproof room with him alone?” Tim wondered aloud, jogging over to the safe room door and trying to turn the unbudging handle.

“Well, maybe Martin’s trying to confront him on his own terms rather than when or where ever Elias decides to corner him,” Sasha suggested, taking a seat at her own desk as Jon nudged Tim to the side so he could attempt to open the obviously locked door as well. “It’s locked, boys. Let’s just wait until they’re done then talk to Martin.”

“Yes! Sleepover! Let’s head to my place after for pizza and boy talk!” Tim yelled enthusiastically, adding after seeing Jon’s sour look, “And for relevant information that Martin may be able to provide us”.

“Thank you, Tim,” Jon replied dryly.

“So… I take it you have some questions for me?” Elias began once Martin shut and locked the door behind them.

“Yes. Several, actually.” Martin said carefully, hand hovering over the door handle for a quick egress should Elias try and attack him. “What did you do to the real Elias Bouchard?”

“For all intents and purposes, I am Elias Bouchard,” Elias responded cryptically, smirking at the annoyed look that came over Martin as a result. “I’m not one to give things away for free, Martin. If you want answers, I’ll need something in return.”

“What do you want?” Martin asked through gritted teeth.

“Different questions merit different prices. For the previous question, I’d need to take a statement from you.” Elias said noncommittally, slowly striding over to Martin. “You won’t need to make payment upfront, but sometime tomorrow I’ll need to take your statement- if you still want your question answered.”

“I do,” Martin replied quickly, eyeing Elias over warily. “What did you want me to give a statement on?”

“Your first meeting with a man named Elias Bouchard,” Elias answered. “Do we have a deal?”

“Yes, now tell me what happened to the real Elias,” Martin demanded with far more confidence than he actually had.

“Well, I wasn’t lying when I said that I essentially am Elias Bouchard… but we both know that’s not what you're asking,” Elias said, voice low and predatory. “I obtained this body shortly after you met the man. I had already set my sights on him as my next host and was actually planning on taking over his body the night you went home with him, delaying my plans slightly, and marking the beginning of my interest in you. Elias may have had you on his radar for a mere one-night stand, but I knew you were capable of so much more- and the drama that would come from one day hiring you was much too appealing to ignore! So yes, I am Elias Bouchard as far as anyone is concerned… but I am not the sleazy idiot you had sex with, Martin.”

“Holy shit. I- I was right? You’re- who are you then? Originally, I mean.” Martin asked, torn between excitement and horror.

“No one you’d know, Martin, I assure you. Any other questions?” Elias said, angling himself towards the door, clearly bored with the conversation now that he wasn’t the one talking.

“Yes, one more question,” Martin replied, face suddenly serious. “Are you going to do what you did to Elias to anyone here at the institute?”

“That question will cost you.”

“What’s the cost,” Martin asked, bracing himself for a distressing answer.

“A kiss. Just once, on the lips, with you kissing back. It won’t be in here, as I’d rather not kiss an employee in a soundproof locked room. I’d like to give you at least the illusion of consent, so I’ll cash in on the payment once we leave the room. Do you still want the answer?” 

“Yes,” Martin replied after a long silence, nails digging into the palms of his hands as if to fight off his body’s refusal to agree to the terms given by this creep.

“No, I am not going to use any of the current institute employees as my next host. I don’t intend to hurt any of you unless you force my hand, which I strongly suggest you do not.” Elias answered in a strangely upbeat tone as he unlocked and opened the door without confirming with Martin that the conversation was finished.

After ten minutes of waiting, Tim got bored and Sasha looked mildly exhausted. Jon offered to stay and check in on Martin and the two would meet Tim and Sasha back at Tim’s place for some answers. Tim agreed enthusiastically and Sasha eventually gave in after Tim promised pizza.

It was another ten minutes before they emerged, unaware of Jon’s presence. Jon, for whatever reason, decided to wait and see what happened before making himself known. Jon would come to regret that decision.

“Is that a threat?” Martin said with a glare as he followed Elias out of the room.

“It is. Thank you for noticing.” Elias responded cheerily, crowding Martin up against the wall just outside the safe room. “What a pretty little thing you are.”

“Shut up. Let’s get this over with.” Martin snapped, placing a hand on the nape of Elias’ neck as he leaned in to give a quick peck on the lips, whining in shock when Elias pressed more firmly into Martin’s body and deepened the kiss. 

Martin knew he didn’t have the right to feel surprised considering everything he knows about the man who calls himself Elias, but Martin had hoped he’d at least get to do this on his own terms. Martin let the kiss go on for several moments, reluctantly kissing back when Elias squeezed his hip as a reminder. Finally, Martin was able to turn his head enough to speak, letting out a shrill noise when Elias’ lips moved softly over the pulse in Martin’s neck.

“Elias, please… Enough. I kissed back just like you said, cut it out.” Martin said, aiming for stern but coming off as a weak protest as he unconsciously leaned into the press of Elias’ lips.

Elias firmly took hold of Martin’s jaw and turned it back towards him before continuing to passionately kiss Martin’s frowning lips. Martin knew when to fight back and when to bare his neck in submission, so Martin submitted to Elias. Hands curling at his sides instead of shoving at Elias’ sturdy chest, head no longer swiveling to avoid the insistent push of Elias’ mouth, and eyes shut to hide his furious glares he continually aimed at Elias.

Mere moments after Martin had given up, a loud crash sounded to their left, revealing a red-faced Jon and a broken potted plant. Elias stepped away from where he had Martin pinned and straightened out his outfit with a polite cough.

“Excuse me, Jon. I didn’t realize you were still here. See you tomorrow, Martin.” Elias explained, turning on his heels to leave without giving Martin a second glance.

The second Elias disappeared from Martin’s sight, he let out a shaky sigh and slid down the length of the wall as if his legs suddenly gave out. Only looking up when he heard Jon cautiously approach him and kneel down in front of Martin.

“Thank you so much, Jon, I was so-” Martin began, interrupted as usual by Jon.

“Do you want me to call the police?” Jon asked carefully, maintaining a comfortable space between the two of them as he looked over Martin presumably for any signs of violence.

“What? No!” Martin exclaimed, confused by Jon’s tense and frightened state.

“HR then?” Jon added, growling at Martin’s shaking of his head. “You need to tell someone about what he’s doing to you. It’s not right and he shouldn’t be able to get away with this kind of behavior! What he did was sexual assault, Martin. I saw you try and stop him… You didn’t consent to that and he forced you to anyway.”

“I did consent, Jon,” Martin whispered, getting louder at Jon’s disapproving body language. “I did! You weren’t there, it was part of the agreement- I could’ve said no if I wanted.”

“Part of the agreement?” Jon repeated coldly. “What agreement, Martin?”

“I really can’t say, Jon. Just forget about it, I didn’t mean to say that.” Martin stuttered anxiously, scrambling to stand up and escape the conversation, only making it to the stairwell before Jon caught up with him.

“Martin, wait! I’m sorry, I didn’t- I’m not upset with you. I’m just concerned. Come back to my flat… please. I don’t think you should stay at the institute until we sort this whole thing out. The safe room may be safe from Prentiss, but Elias has the keys… I’ll let you get some of your stuff, and then we’ll head out, alright?” Jon rambled, looking both ashamed and distressed at the idea of Martin being left unprotected. 

“Okay, Jon. That’s really kind of you. Thanks.” Martin responded sincerely, though too tired to summon up any more praise than that.

“Of course, Martin. Anytime.” Jon lied.

Martin regretted taking Jon up on his offer the second he crossed into the threshold of Jon’s flat- a minimalist design that seemed to be accidental rather than an aesthetic. Martin could feel the waves of uncomfortable hesitance coming off of Jon as he gestured for Martin to sit across from him on his suspiciously clean dinner table. 

“Do you want me to make you any tea?” Martin asked after several minutes of awkward silence.

“Feel free, tea’s in the upper left cabinet,” Jon informed him, clearly waiting for Martin to bring up the elephant in the room and sighing deeply when he didn’t. “So what dirt does he have on you? Why can’t you tell anyone what Elias is doing to you?”

“Not blackmail, threats,” Martin said quietly, hands trembling as he made the tea for them both. “I can’t go into details, Jon. I really shouldn’t even be telling you this, but I assume Elias would rather me tell you in vague terms than not tell you and have you do something rash.”

“You can tell me anything, Martin. He doesn’t have to know that I know.” Jon assured the frightened man. “Let me help you.”

“No, Jon… You don’t understand-”

“Help me understand then!” Jon yelled, slamming both hands on the dinner table, frustrated with Martin’s refusal to explain the situation. Jon felt a flash of guilt when he saw Martin flinch and stagger backward at Jon’s display of anger. 

“No, Jon. I made a deal with Elias and I have to follow through. So long as I don’t make any more arrangements with him, he won’t do anything as far as I’ve seen. After tomorrow he shouldn’t be bothering me any more than usual.” Martin said, displaying a level of calmness he did not possess.

“Why? What’s so special about tomorrow?” Jon asked, concerned.

“Well… I actually made two deals with him. The kiss was payment on a smaller question but tomorrow’s was- I guess, you could say that tomorrow’s payment was to make sure Elias didn’t go after you three the way he went after… er- the way I thought he might go after you.” Martin confessed, cursing his brief slip up.

“The way he went after who? I know you’re not telling me everything Martin but I can’t for the life of me figure out why!” 

“Goodnight, Jon. Thank you for offering a place to stay tonight, I appreciate it.” Martin responded softly, settling into the pillow and covers Jon placed on the sofa while Jon watched, frustrated with Martin’s lack of specificity. 

“Promise me that if you ever need help- if he ever goes too far, you’ll let me know.” Jon pleaded.

“I promise, Jon.”

“Good.”

Jon had been keeping Martin in his line of sight all day ever since Martin accidentally revealed that whatever payment Martin owed Elias was going to be paid today. Elias checked up on the four of them way more than was normal, smirking when he saw Jon try to act nonchalant as he strode over to Martin’s desk for his assistance, despite said papers being blank, daring Elias to try anything to his assistants under Jon’s watchful eye. Martin had to practically beg Jon to let him use the restroom on his own, swearing to Jon he’d use the gender-neutral toilets that were only for a single person to use at a time (as Jon was worried Martin might run into Elias at the men’s room). 

They compromised on Jon being in the breakroom (which was nowhere near the single-person restrooms) while Martin used the toilets because Martin was extremely self-conscious about Jon hearing him pee, and if after 15 minutes Martin hadn’t emerged from the restroom, then Jon could go check on him.

Martin had just locked the door behind him and flicked on the lights when he turned around to see Elias- no, the thing that stole Elias’ body leaning against the sink. Martin had just enough of foresight to muffle his scream with his fist before whispering angrily-

“What the hell? Ever heard of privacy?” 

“If it makes you feel more comfortable, I’ll turn around while you urinate. Though it’s not like I haven’t seen it all before, Martin.” Elias said, examining his nails with disinterest.

“Last time you saw me naked was because I consented to you seeing me like that. I do not consent to whatever weird fetish this is.” Martin hissed.

“You did, actually. You consented to give a statement and that’s what I’m here to do. If your little watchdog wasn’t on high alert then we could’ve had this conversation in my office. I know you don’t actually have to use the restroom, Martin… You just needed a break from Jon, didn’t you? Well, no matter.” Elias shrugged, striding over to Martin, tape recorder appearing in his hand from seemingly thin air. “Statement of Martin K. Blackwood regarding his one night stand with a Mister Elias Bouchard… Statement begins.”

Martin was speaking. Martin knew he was speaking, but for some reason, he wasn’t forming the words in his head then speaking them. He was just reliving that night, mouth moving as if to perfectly describe the moment in a manner so unlike himself that he hardly recognized his own voice. 

Martin spoke about the bar, the man who took him home, how scared Martin was of the stranger who he was going to lose his virginity to (scared of him being a serial killer or a kidnapper or a rapist or… worst of all, disgusted by Martin and his body). Martin spoke about how anxious he was about taking off his clothes and how the man looked at him like he was a thanksgiving feast, how this was probably some kind of fetishization of the fat body his mother always shamed him for, and how he couldn’t find it in himself to feel indignant at the idea of being seen as a guilty pleasure and not a sexual partner. Martin spoke about feeling overwhelmingly relieved at the man’s arousal as he groped and ground against Martin’s plump body and how he never expected anyone to see him like this and not see sex with him as a downside to an otherwise kind, caring boyfriend. Martin recalled the unfamiliar pain gradually fading to overwhelming pleasure and how surprised he was that the man wanted to cuddle after, and wanted Martin to stay the night (“I make the best damn pancakes you’ll ever taste, just you wait.” Elias said. Were those the last pancakes he ever made? Was Martin the last person he’d slept with? Was he bragging about getting laid right before getting called into James Wright’s office? Before this so-called James took his eyes and-?).

Martin came to with a sharp slap to the face.

“How the hell did you do that?” Elias- no, James Wright- no, who was he? The imposter said, looking fearful and confused, hand still raised from where he struck Martin.

“Do what?” Martin croaked out, tears streaming down his cheeks for reasons he couldn’t remember, clutching the side of his face that was hit as he kneeled on the ground, shaking.

“You looked into my mind. You shouldn’t be able to do that. No one should be able to do that! What else do you know, Martin Blackwood?” Elias asked, voice taking on an authoritative tone that forced the words out of his mouth.

“Nothing! I don’t know what just happened, I swear, please don’t-” Martin’s sobbing hiccupped response was cut short by a series of sharp knocks.

“Martin? Martin, are you alright? I thought I heard-” Jon’s said through the thick wooden door of the restroom.

“Yes, we’re quite fine here. Aren’t we, Martin?” Elias answered, any hint of the anger that was moments ago plaguing him now replaced with the type of malicious amusement Elias got from pissing off Jon.

“I don’t know what’s going on, I… Please, Elias, what happened?” Martin asked in between pitiful sniffles.

“I have little to no clue, Martin. For the first time in centuries, I have no clue what is happening.” Elias said back in a cheerfully hushed tone similar to the one Martin adopted, albeit with less heart-wrenching crying, before unlocking and opening the door and walking out.

“Martin? Are you okay, Martin? What happened? Why are you crying and why is your face all… did he hit you?” Jon asked, face twisting in fury as he helped Martin get up off the floor.

Martin could see Jon calling for Tim and Sasha as his vision faded to black.

“And he told me that it was going to happen today.” A familiar soothing voice said.

“So that’s why you two were attached at the hip all day! I thought you were marking your territory or something all Alpha Male like that.” Another male voice- Tim said.

“Then I let him use the restroom alone, stupid of me, really. I should’ve known that creep would… anyway, I check back in 15 minutes later like the two of us discussed and Elias is in there with him and Martin’s on his knees sobbing with what looks like the result of either a slap or a punch on his left cheek.” The first voice, Jon, says.

“Holy shit. Now, as I woman I’ve seen some sexual harassment in the workplace, but this is some straight-up Law and Order shit.” Sasha added, shock evident in the way she spoke.

“What do we do?” Tim asked, pacing distressingly around the- where was he? This room didn’t look familiar.

“Shut up, guys, he's waking!” Sasha scolded before softly smiling at Martin. “Hey, Marto, welcome to my flat! It was the closest to the institute and we didn’t want to leave you unconscious around Elias so we kinda Weekend At Bernie’s our way here.”

“Tell us everything.” Jon began, eyes clouded with anger as he waited for Martin’s explanation.

“What he means is- we want to help you and to do that we need to know what he did. We’ll help you make an HR report or a police report or both if that’s what you want! I know he probably seems like some all-powerful omnipresent being right now, but he’s not. And we’re not gonna stand around while Elias hurts you like this.” Tim said, placing a soothing hand on top of Martin’s fidgeting ones.

“I went to the restroom. He was already there. We- we talked…” Martin spat as if the word itself had offended him greatly. “Then he, or I, I did something that upset him. I still don’t know what. But he, uh, struck me then Jon interrupted. That’s all.”

“Bullshit,” Jon replied, talking over both Tim and Sasha’s words of admonishment aimed at him. “He cornered you in a restroom just to talk?”

“Well, he was going to do it in his office but someone was glued to my side all day! If it weren’t for your superficial acts of chivalry then I at least would’ve known beforehand when I’d meet him and had time to prepare. I told you, he doesn’t work the way you think he does! You won’t stop him by guarding me and you won’t stop him by filing some dumbass HR report.” Martin yelled, frustration causing him to tear up again. “And I’m not letting another person die at that monster’s hands because of me!”

“What?” Tim, Sasha, and Jon cried out in horrified unison.

“Goddamnit.”


	2. Epilogue (?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so short, enjoy!

Martin ran. 

He knew they had questions, questions he couldn’t answer even if he wanted to. Martin also knew that most problems can be solved by fleeing, and his cowardice had yet to kill him so… running it is.

Martin ran back to the institute which, sure, might not have been the smartest choice, he’ll admit. But it was the only choice he had. It’s not like living in an unsafe environment is new to Martin, it’s just- it’s weird to have people who care enough to try and stop him from going back to somewhere awful. 

Martin switched to a light footed walk once he entered the institute, knowing that Elias would know he was there regardless of how sneaky he was, but still hopeful enough to pray otherwise. Once Martin stood in front of the safe room door, he paused. It couldn’t’ve been anything more than a hunch and yet… Martin knew with a certainty so unfamiliar to his indecisive self that Elias was on the other side of that door. Martin was left, once again, with only one actual choice. So, he opened the door.

Elias was there, as expected, but he wasn’t standing ominously in the shadows or smirking smuggly while perched on the cabinets on the far side of the room… He was sitting on the cot, head in hands, with his tie askew and his spotless black coat crumpled at his feet. Elias didn’t look sad or drunk or angry, he just looked kind of guilty. 

“Ah yes, Martin. I was waiting for your arrival.” Elias said finally, after a tense moment of shock from Martin. “I- well, I suppose I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier today. I don’t make a habit out of succumbing to caveman-like urges of violence nor do I take pleasure out of getting my hands dirty the way I did previously.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Martin asked, more confused than upset.

“If you’re trying to get me to repeat myself then you’re out of luck, dear Martin.” Elias responded before intensely searching Martin’s eyes as if they contained the secrets of the universe. “Ah! No, I think I understand now. You’re not used to being apologized to. Oh, my deepest condolences on your upbringing, Martin. That’s a horrible thing for a child to have to go through.”

“Fuck off.” Martin snapped, gesturing to the door as a nonverbal cue for Elias to leave him alone.

“Never let it be said that I don’t try to sympathize with my employees. Honestly, the things I do for ungrateful people like you four…” Elias muttered under his breath as he grabbed his jacket and began to exit. “Oh, and before I forget- Martin?”

“What?” Martin responded, annoyed.

“You may want to lock your door before your bodyguards show up to interrogate me.” Elias said nonchalantly, mussing up his hair and unzipping his slacks just as the sound of his three other employees entered the Archives. 

Martin didn’t need creepy eye powers to know that his coworkers would see Elias’ unzipped slacks and messy demeanor and come to the untrue, but obvious conclusion… so Martin did what he did best. He accidentally made things worse.

“I-didn’t-blow-him.” Martin sputtered out, before slamming the door shut and locking it with Elias and his three coworkers on the other side.


End file.
